Prayerful Giving

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

What a great statement of God’s faithfulness and generosity!

If you give a thimbleful to the needy and to God, you will get back a thimbleful of blessing. If you give a tubful you will get back a tubful of blessing and reward. This is an excellent commentary on the old saying, “You cannot out-give God.”

I’ve used Luke 6:38 to encourage giving money to support missions and the work of the kingdom, and I think it can be rightly applied for such use. But the John Phillips Commentary cites the context to show that Jesus is speaking here primarily of relationships with others. Give love and you will get love. Give understanding and you will get understanding. Show compassion and others will be compassionate toward you. Give yourself, don’t condemn, don’t judge, show concern, be generous, and you will be richly rewarded. Second Corinthians 9:6 says the same thing. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” Here the context has to do with giving funds.

This command is similar to Jesus’ teaching that states, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25). It is in giving that we gain. Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred at the hands of the Auca Indians, said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

God may not always give back more in money than we give to Him, for God looks at the heart of our intentions. Giving to get more wealth is not the best motive, so we must continually examine our hearts to be sure that our objectives are pure. We give because we love Him and want to obey Him and help in the worldwide mission of His church. Often, His faithful ones have seen this promise fulfilled literally with material reward. And always, there are spiritual and relational rewards. Our giving, whether of funds, time, or talent, should always bring honor and glory to God and the purposes of His kingdom alone.

Father, as I begin this New Year, help me to keep in the forefront of my mind and heart that You are the Giver of every good and perfect gift. All that we have comes from You. You are our faithful provider. Thank You! Help me to reflect Your giving nature in my life. Not only, Lord, in the giving of finances, but in my time, my love, my concern for others. Teach me to trust You as I pour out what You have given me with the generosity that I see in who You are. Because of Christ in me, may my life have a significant impact upon Your kingdom this year and for the rest of my days.

Extra Commands to Pray. A FREE PDF DOWNLOAD that goes along with the book, Encountering Jesus: Praying the Commands of Christ into Your Life. It includes content for additional commands that the book does not cover.

Encountering Jesus is also available on Kindle and Nook. One Kindle reader said: “While I knew (know) of Jesus biblical commands, I did not really know how to translate them into my life on a daily basis. Norval Hadley’s book showed me how. It will put energy into your prayer life.”

Praise God for his creativity. Give glory for the unending variety exhibited in his creation. Thank God for the wonderful way you have been made and for your unique personality, gifts, and talents. Confess any dissatisfaction you have had with the way you have been created. Commit yourself to serving God with your gifts and talents. Ask that God may reveal your spiritual gifts to you and give you opportunity to use them for him.

Pray that the gospel may reach, touch, and renew the hearts and minds of people without hope in our world today so that there may be a great harvest of souls brought into the church.

–Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.

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